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Chief Legal Officer
Ms Beth Cubitt
Telephone | +61 8 9266 4599
Email | beth.cubitt@curtin.edu.au
Beth is an experienced construction and commercial lawyer with cross-border and international experience and has been Chief Legal Officer of Curtin University commencing in January 2024. She has overall responsibility for all legal aspects of the University’s operations, and also a broader role across a range of strategic issues and initiatives with a risk or governance dimension.
Ms Cubitt has more than 20 years’ experience in private practice and was previously a partner of two leading international firms. She began her career as a lawyer and public notary in South Africa before moving to Australia in 2000. She has lived and worked in Australia in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth. She is a graduate of the University of Melbourne, the University of Queensland, the University of Southern Queensland, the University of South Africa and Stellenbosch University.
She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
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Director
Gabrielle Vitali
Telephone | +61 8 9266 1796
Email | Gabrielle.Vitali@curtin.edu.au
Gabrielle Vitali has been a practicing lawyer for over 20 years and has held litigation, insolvency and commercial roles in both Perth and Sydney.
A Senior Legal Counsel with Curtin since September 2019, Gabrielle has worked closely with Curtin’s International, ROC, Procurement, Student Experience and Learning Partnerships teams on a range of contracting issues. She has provided strategic advice on tender projects including those currently under consideration with DFAT. In November 2020, she attended the first staff camp held at the Nowanup site to inform her work with the Office of the Elder in Residence and DVCA in relation to the proposed establishment of a bush campus for Curtin at the site. She has worked on numerous projects for Curtin including the Contract Management Framework, Modern Slavery, Foreign Interference and has authored a series of new templates to ease contracting processes for the business.
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Senior Legal Counsel
Elizabeth Chrystal
[Working Days | Mon | Tues | Thurs]
Telephone | +61 8 9266 4218
Email | elizabeth.chrystal@curtin.edu.au
Elizabeth is an experienced commercial and property lawyer and joined Curtin as a Senior Legal Counsel in February 2020.
Elizabeth works closely with the Property, Facilities and Development area across Curtin premises, including Bentley, Perth CBD, Kalgoorlie, Neuroscience Research Institute, Midland and various others. She provides advice on property and contract law, including development, retail and commercial leasing, capital projects, telecommunications and collaborations. She also works with other areas, including ROC, faculties, senior executive, Learning Partnerships and International.
Curtin is preparing for the new work health and safety laws which harmonises WA law with the majority of Australia. Elizabeth manages this project and is working closely with Curtin management and the Health & Safety team as these new laws have wide implications across Curtin.
Elizabeth manages and is the supervisor for the Legal Services internship program, which facilitates Curtin Law School students gaining work experience with the Legal Services team.
Prior to joining Curtin, Elizabeth worked as a property development lawyer in private practice in Melbourne and brings her experience on large projects and extensive property knowledge to the team. Her experience focused on the acquisition and disposal of mixed use developments and commercial leasing. During her time in Melbourne, Elizabeth was actively involved in the property sector more broadly and was selected to sit on the Women in Property Committee of the Urban Development Institute of Australia and to be part of the Property Council of Australia’s 500 Women in Property program.
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Senior Legal Counsel
Rebecca Banyard
[Working Days | Tues | Weds | Fri]
Telephone | +61 8 9266 2767
Email | Rebecca.Banyard@curtin.edu.au
Rebecca has worked at Curtin as a commercial lawyer since January 2020.
At Curtin, Rebecca has worked closely with Strategic Procurement, International, Risk and Assurance and the Research Office and has also provided advice to (amongst other areas), faculties and the Centre for Aboriginal Studies, Properties, Student Services, and the Learning Partnerships team. She has provided advice and assistance in negotiating significant software licence contracts, Cooperative Research Centre participation documents, procurement contracts and international agreements, and on the application of various pieces of legislation to Curtin’s operations.
Prior to starting at Curtin, Rebecca worked at a boutique corporate and commercial legal practice where she was engaged in corporate compliance matters, contract preparation and negotiation, property transactions, employment law, preparing wills and estate planning. She was admitted to practice in 2014.
Outside of the law, Rebecca represented Australia and Western Australia in lacrosse as a player and coach for several years. She is now the coach of the Australian senior and U23 players in Western Australia.
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Senior Legal Counsel
Lorna Boyes
[Working Days | Mon | Wed | Thurs]
Telephone | +61 8 9266 1243
Email | Lorna.Boyes@curtin.edu.au
Lorna joined Legal Services in 2019 and has supported a range of areas across the university including Research, Properties, Procurement, Compliance and the faculties.
This has included working closely with the Space Science and Technology Centre on the satellite launch contracts for its Binar Space Program, and in setting up the Australian Remote Operations for Space and Earth (AROSE) Consortium. She has also supported the Medical School on capital works, fieldwork and procurement matters, the John Curtin Gallery on public artwork projects, place activation and artwork loan programs, and collaborated with the Library, Marketing and School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry on a range of media and creative projects. Lorna has also been closely involved in the development of several key university policies on academic freedom and free speech, external entity governance, disclosure of interests, and foreign risk issues.
Prior to joining Curtin, Lorna was legal counsel for an ASX listed renewable energy development company, where she supported a range of research, project development and compliance matters. She has also practiced as a commercial litigator and corporate adviser with specialist and top-tier law firms, primarily servicing clients in the resources, property and construction industries.
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Senior Legal Counsel
Natalie Zurita
[Working Days | Tues | Wed | Fri]
Telephone | +61 8 9266 4462
Email | n.zurita@curtin.edu.au
Natalie joined Curtin as Senior Legal Counsel in September 2022.
Natalie has been practising for over 10 years and advises on all on all aspects of employment law, industrial relations and workplace health and safety compliance. Natalie looks forward to collaborating with stakeholders at Curtin to provide pragmatic advice and optimal legal solutions, with a people focus.
Prior to joining Curtin, Natalie worked in private practice including an international law firm, a boutique Perth firm, and at a global consulting company in London.
Natalie is also a legal volunteer at the not-for-profit communication legal centre, Circle Green Community Legal.
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Senior Legal Counsel
Richard Starkey
Telephone | +61 8 9266 1865
Email | richard.starkey@curtin.edu.au
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Lawyer
Irish Rosales
Telephone | +61 8 9266 9603
Email | irish.rosales@curtin.edu.au
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Law Graduate
Ruby Delacey
Telephone | +61 8 9266 9597
Email | ruby.delacey@curtin.edu.au
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Information Disclosure Compliance Officer
Emma Parker
Telephone | +61 8 9266 7004
Email | emma.parker@curtin.edu.au